Modeling Healthy Behaviors

April marks National Alcohol Awareness Month and is sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) to educate the masses about America’s #1 health problem: alcohol dependence. Claiming the lives of more than 90,000 people every year, this month focuses on raising awareness about alcohol abuse and dependency before it is fatal.

More than 65 million Americans report binge drinking or heavy drinking in a one-month period, which is more than 40% of those who drink alcohol.

In 2018, there were 10,511 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, totaling 29% of all traffic fatalities for the year.

Teen alcohol use kills 4,700 people each year, more than all illegal drugs combined.

By making people more aware of the situation and the viable solutions, alcohol awareness month aimed to reduce the pain and suffering alcohol abuse causes to people’s lives.

When it comes to preventing underage drinking, research shows that early education is the best defense. Which is why if your child is in elementary school, this is the best time to start the conversation—and start it early.

Research shows that children are beginning to drink at a younger age. In fact, a Partnership Attitude Tracking study reports that about 10 percent of 9-year-olds have consumed more than a sip of alcohol, while a report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) shows that one-third of children ages 12 to 17 had their first drink before 13.

Very young drinkers are becoming a major concern. Unfortunately, this trend will have serious consequences in the future. Research from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism indicates that children who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to have drinking problems than those who start drinking at age 21 or later.

What you can do

Lock up your alcohol.

Talk to your kids about alcohol-related messages they get through ads, the news and entertainment sources. These messages may conflict with what you’ve taught them.

Encourage your kids to ask questions about things they see and hear about alcohol. You’ll learn a great deal about what they’re thinking.

Make sure your child knows your rules—and that you’ll enforce the consequences if rules are broken.

Role play with your child. Create a situation in which someone offers him drugs or alcohol and help strengthen their exit plan.

Offer tools that help them out of a sticky situation. Let them know to use you as an excuse.

Model responsible drinking for them. Before you go out, choose not to drink or establish the designated driver.

If you are going through stress don’t turn to alcohol, model healthy outlets

Ongoing conversation around this topic is key to prevention, but also modeling speaks louder than words.

To learn more add the Sober Truth issue to your MASK Library

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